Future Consequences
by k123
Summary: She's never been perfect and she's never wanted to be. But times change and so do people, and in the end it's what they need her to be. Review?
1. Serena

Serena does not know what to think of her – this woman who knows everything and takes care of everyone. She's elegant and graceful and oh so _perfect_, the one who always says the right thing, who never makes mistakes, who never lets anyone die. When she smiles, she lights up the room, bringing happiness and warmth to everyone, making the world a better place simply by her mere presence.

Serena does not know what to think of her, this woman who is the future Queen of Neo Tokyo, who is, for all intents and purposes, Serena's own future. Except she's not. Because Serena is not perfect or elegant, and sometimes her hardest just isn't good enough; because Serena is only human, even though Sailor Moon and Queen Serenity are not. She's constantly running late, she's chronically lazy, and she's the furthest thing from graceful. She can't count the number of times Sailor Moon has fallen flat on her face during a fight (although she's positive Rei has a tally somewhere). And everyone's waiting for her to miraculously turn into this woman who can do _anything_, and she _can't_. _It's never going to happen_. But no one else seems to understand this, and they look at her as if she has all the answers, as if she can save them all, and she's desperately afraid they're all going to die, that she's going to fail, even though her future self saves them all.

"Serena?" That quiet, lovely voice, the one people hush just to listen to, the one _Serena_ hushes to listen to, and it's not _her_, and it _never will be_ (if she had any doubts of this, it would be assuaged by the number of times people asked her to quiet down because her shrill voice gave them a headache). But it _is_ her, her future self, and she looks up and meets her own eyes.

"They're waiting for you. Decisions must be made, and you are the one who must make them," and there is no hint of censure in that cool, poised voice, just expectancy. It makes Serena want to scream, to shout, to ask why her? Why did they expect this from her? But she does not, because she's lived through wars and pain and blood, and the question why stopped mattering a long time ago.

It doesn't matter anyway. This is herself she is talking to, as much as Serena tries to deny it. The future Queen looks at her, the epitome of calm, and there is no softness in her face. "You have to prepare for this. There will be many more fights, most much worse than what you face today." Her voice is hard and cool as glass, and her eyes are pitiless; she too has faced tears and blood, as well as death, and mercy was only one casualty of her wars.

Serena looks at her and just breathes for a moment. Then she straightens her shoulders, holds her head high, and leaves the room. She does what she has to; she always has and always will.

In the end, there was never any doubt.


	2. Serenity

Serenity does not know what to think of her – this girl who is brash and rude and _careless_, who jumps head first into fights without ever stopping to think; this girl who is supposed to lead and protect, but who is hiding out in her room, staring out her window, this girl who is supposed to be the future Queen of Neo Tokyo, but is only a scared teenager.

Serenity can just barely remember being this young, this afraid, and wanting her mother to hold her and tell her that everything would be all right. And she understands that it's hard and scary (there are times when she, too, looks out her window and just wants to _run_ and get _away_ from it all, but it's her world and her people, and she's damn well going to keep them safe), but she does not have the time or inclination to comfort her younger self. This is only the beginning, and Serena needs to be strong now, or else she won't be able to get through the coming years (and Serenity should know).

"Serena?" she says, oh so quietly, and the girl looks up, startled (nothing has startled Serenity for quite some time; when your life depends on being aware of your surroundings, you learn to pay attention). "They're waiting for you. Decisions must be made and you are the one that must make them," because Serenity can't, because she (the world), needs Serena to grow and learn, even if she fails.

Serena crumples in on herself, arms curling protectively around her body, and Serenity sees the expression that appears on children everywhere, the 'life isn't _fair_, and why is it always _me_' look, and she wonders that she was ever this _weak_ (Serenity has not had this look since Rei lost her right eye trying to save Molly; she died anyway).

She looks at this girl, her past self, who's only fifteen years old, and she tells her the truth. . "You have to prepare for this. There will be many more fights, most much worse than what you face today." There were many fifteen year old girls who had to grow up too fast, and even more who never had a chance to grow up at all. Serena (her childhood) is just one more.

She watches the girl uncurl herself and, as blue eyes clash with blue eyes, Serenity is forcefully reminded that Serena has already lost her childhood, that Serena too has been through wars (although she still has her most important people), that sometimes age has nothing to do with maturity, and that Serena is, above all, _her_. They look at each other for another moment, and then she moves to the side, and watches the future Queen of Neo Tokyo walk out of the room, head held high.


End file.
